Art Eternal
I was fascinated to read the End of the Line article “One with the Earth” in the August issue. I’ve been a studio potter in West Chester for nearly 30 years. I sell my work throughout the U.S. via craft galleries and museum gift shops. Suddenly, I am getting many requests for urns, even from clients who are very much alive but want it ready “for when the time comes.” I don’t even market urns specifically (yet)—it just seems to be what people are thinking about.
Nancy Salamon, Clay Born Pottery
West Chester
Praise for Mark Dixon’s Retrospect has been piling up. Here’s a selection of recent correspondence:
Bring Back Butler
In reference to August 2006’s Retrospect:
Wow! “Gangster, Racketeer, Marine” is one of Mark Dixon’s best. A couple of observations: I never heard of Smedley Butler’s book, but it’s clearly one that deserves a reprint. Also, I’m surprised Dixon didn’t make further or more specific reference to what’s going on in Iraq since it is, of course, exactly what Butler wrote about. On the other hand, maybe the reference to “Rumpot” was enough. Although this is not my area of expertise, I will note the other act Butler was famous for while serving the city of Philadelphia: He tried to control traffic on the length of both Broad and Market streets by installing a single gigantic traffic light atop the City Hall tower. It didn’t work.
John Shiffert
Newnan, Ga.
The article on Smedley Butler is excellent. It’s unfortunate that Bush and Rumsfeld don’t have him around to bring integrity and correct priorities to the defense of our nation. Today’s leadership needs more “Fighting Quakers.”
Louis Prevost
Paoli
Hard Case
In reference to July 2006’s Retrospect:
“The End of Compromise” is a great article that sheds light on the current situation in the city of Chester, which I am aware of as an alumnus of the Widener University School of Law and as a friend of the current legislator from Chester, the Rev. Thaddeus Kirkland, and several of his predecessors.
Rep. Mark Cohen
Philadelphia
I enjoyed reading “The End of Compromise”—as someone who worked at Sun Ship (in the summer of 1958 as a second-class machinist’s helper), as one who’s been interested for 50 years in African-American history (I worked at the Afro-American Museum in Philadelphia as development director for two years) and as one whose Swarthmore family tried do helpful things over the years for the people of Chester. The city is really beyond palliative care, though. It needs a massive revolt against the entrenched powers. What a tale of woe.
Damon Kletzien
West Chester
Corrections:
In the August 2006 issue, Carolyn Loughlin, DDS, was left out of this year’s Top Dentists list. A graduate of Georgetown University, Loughlin has been practicing for 11 years. Her office is at 319 E. Chestnut St. in Coatesville; (610) 384-2320. And in Main Line Today’s fall Guide to Health & Wellness, “23 Facts about Plastic Surgery” failed to note that doctors with a specialized certification through the American Board of Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery are as reputable and skilled as those certified through the American Board of Plastic Surgery. Visit abfprs.org for more information.
